Par
Corinne Gallier
Published on
Oct 14, 2024 at 7:47 p.m.
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The latest addition to the Cunard was moored at the Quai de France, in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, on Monday October 14, 2024.
An event, since it was the very first French stopover for the Queen Annebaptized in June in Liverpool. On board, 2,851 passengers (for a maximum capacity of 2,996), mainly British and Belgian.
The liner of the famous 184 year old shipping company stopped off in the Cotentin port city on the occasion of a mini cruise which led him in particular to Zeebrugge (Belgium).
He was to rally the next day Southampton (United Kingdom), its home port.
French touch
One of the particularities of Queen Anne, and not the least, is that it transports to all the seas of the globe a little of the french touch.
One of the three interior design firms which were contacted for its decoration is in fact French. It is that of Sybille de Margerie.
If the latter was absent from Cherbourg on Monday October 14 due to meetings… with the royal family of Morocco, it is one of her right-hand men, Thomas Kohlmüller, the director of the Parisian agency (Sybille de Margerie also has two studios in Florence and Dubai, Editor’s note) who played guides for a day.
We were contacted in 2018 by Cunard and had to collaborate with the London agencies David Collins and Richmond International who are usually competitors! It was the first time we were asked to work on a boat. Undoubtedly what attracted the company was our thirty-five years of experience in decorating palaces.
The Oriental Mandarin in Paris, The white horse and its restaurant, the 1947in Courchevel, the Beauchamp villa and the Clair soleil villa at the Grand-hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, hotels in Geneva, Chamonix, Saint-Barthélemy, Aswan, luxury villas… The interior designer Sybille de Margerie and his team are accustomed to high-end orders.
With the Queen Annethe French agency adds a nice string to its bow.
If Cunard chose us with the two British firms, it is with the aim of renewing luxury cruising a little. The company has a loyal and fairly classic clientele, but it also wants to attract a younger, more modern clientele.
To the art deco markers which make the specificity of the Cunardcontemporary touches have been integrated into the boat.
The three words that prevailed when designing the decoration were craftsmanship, the British side that had to be preserved, and history. Each space has a different atmosphere.
The French design teams had to take care of theshopping areaof spa with its ten treatment cabins, kids club (kids club), cabins (numbering 1,370), in blue and gold tones, mini-suites (130), with red and amber tones.
We were also responsible for the reception room called the Queen’s room, one of the restaurants and its lounge (…). Our challenge was to achieve the same level of luxury as for a palace, but with significant constraints, including in terms of budget. This experience has in any case allowed us to broaden our know-how and to be called upon in areas that were not necessarily ours before.
Around the world
It has been 14 years since the Cunard had not had a new boat built. Queen Anne joined her big sisters a few months ago Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria et Queen Elizabeth.
on next French stopover will be at Havre in the month of December.
January 9, 2025the 249e shipping company ship will depart for a world tour.
The figures and unusuals of the Queen Anne
– 1225 is the number of crew members, representing approximately 70 different nationalities.
– 1 is the number of French passports among staff. This passport belongs to Marine Gohon-Mandin, a young international hostess.
– 14 is the number of bridges on the Queen Anne. There is no bridge 13, superstition obliges.
– 12 is the number of the bridge where the library is located. Books in French are currently on order…
– 800 is the number of spectators that the theater can accommodate for performances and conferences.
– 113,000 is the gross tonnage of the boat.
– A room is dedicated to religious services of all faiths. There is also a wedding hall. These are chaired by the captain of the ship, in this case the captain.
– Churchill’s is the name of the smokehouse, where you can smoke cigars and pipes but no cigarettes.
– The dollar is the currency used on board.
– The Queen Anne is a boat for sportsmen. Apart from the fitness room, you can practice mini-golf, basketball, padel, and even archery.
– Blue, yellow and red/Bordeaux is the color code of the Cunard. Blue is for the front of the ship, yellow for the center and red/Bordeaux for the rear.
– In one of the liner’s exclusive bars, the dress code is gala attire. So forget about flip-flops and Bermuda shorts!
– Speaking of Bermuda… the Queen Anne sails under the flag of Bermuda.
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